Hannah Valentine continues to pile up wins and the senior will likely break a career record at some point this season.
The Platte County standout is one of four returning starters for coach Zach Keith this fall and the Pirates will be vying for a seventh straight Suburban Conference Blue Division championship.
Valentine, a senior, went 22-5 last year while playing at No. 1 singles and the only losses were to eventual Class 2 state qualifiers. In her two prior years, she posted a 15-0 mark and 23-2 record in singles play.
She advanced to the Class 2 Sectional 8 meet in singles but came up short in a quest of going to state. The year prior, she reached sectionals in doubles.
Overall, Valentine has 109 wins, already holding the record for career singles wins at 60. She is chasing the school record of 117 held by Stephanie Laures, set from 2013-16.
Citizen file photo
Platte County’s Hannah Valentine reaches to hit a forehand during a Class 2 District 16 singles match last year in St. Joseph, Mo.
Two other seniors, No. 2 Mikayla Landers and No. 3 Crystal Billings, are returning for the Pirates, while junior Jaycie Call also returns after playing No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles.
Keith and assistant coaches Margarit Araiza and Taylor Laures – both in their first years – will look to replace two starters in Grace Lewis and Brittany Alvarado, who played No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively and combined to be the Pirates’ No. 3 doubles team.
The battle to replace that group includes last year’s JV players Mallarie Hynes, Annie Archibald and Karlee Chase, while junior Isabelle Geddes is out for the tennis team for the first time.
Platte County went 6-7 last year – a decrease from a 10-2 mark in 2016 – but still won their sixth straight Suburban Conference Blue Division title.
“We’re playing a tough schedule, so improvements may not necessarily be reflected in our overall record,” said Keith, who is entering his 11th year at the helm. “But we hope to really push ourselves during the regular season in order to make a postseason push.”
The Pirates will get a strong challenge for a seventh-straight title this year as Grain Valley and Smithville enters the conference. Grain Valley, coming from the Missouri River Valley Conference, brings a lofty resume dating back to 2010. Since then, the school has won no less than 11 matches and made the Class 2 playoffs in 2015.